Tue, 10 May 2005

Charity must be voluntary. Very simply, you get what you
subsidize. If you give money to people who have certain
characteristics, you will find more people trying to achive those
characteristics. Rather than government aid working to eliminate
poverty, it functions to create more poor people.

If, on the other hand, charity is voluntary, and human judgement is
applied to the decision to help someone, then that human can evaluate
each need on its own merits. Sometimes some people are helped most by
the kick in the butt that poverty provides. Other people are not, and
no blanket rule (as governments have to apply) will get it as right.